The costs of caring for people with dementia in the United States in 2010 were between $159 billion to $215 billion, and those costs could rise dramatically with the increase in the numbers of older people in coming decades.

The researchers found these costs of care comparable to, if not greater than, those for heart disease and cancer. Rates of dementia increase with age, and unless new ways are found to treat and effectively prevent it, national health expenditures for dementia could come close to doubling by 2040, as the aging population increases and dementia remains the same.

"These findings reveal that the enormous emotional and physical demands of caring for people with dementia are accompanied by the similarly imposing financial burdens of dementia care," said Richard J. Hodes, M.D. Director of the NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA), which funded the analysis. "The national costs further compel us to do all we can to find effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias as soon as possible."

The Alzheimer's Association reports that more than 5 mm people are living with Alzheimer's in 2017 and this number could more than triple by 2050. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Brainpaths USPTO Patent 9.132,059 is exempt from Clinical Trials. However, new research opportunities are opening doors to new possibilities for treatment of dementia and memory disorders incorporating fingertip tracing to unlock the power of mechanoreceptors, providing a non-invasive superhighway to stimulate the sensory cortex of the brain and strengthen synapse connections.